Chapter 35 #2
He lowered his torso until his chest touched her breasts and kissed her gently.
Then, angling his head, he deepened the kiss as he pressed inside her channel.
She gasped at the fullness, but he swallowed the sound.
The long, slow thrusts of his cock mirrored his tongue sweeping through her mouth, soon taking them both to a place where the world disappeared, leaving only the two of them.
They rediscovered a connection that transcended physical desire, as passion between them burned just as hot as it had when they’d met.
They made love with the desperate hunger of people who’d found their way back to each other, but also with the tenderness that came from finally being able to offer their hearts without reservation.
Later, as they lay tangled together on top of the sheets, Sadie traced lazy patterns across Todd’s chest while her mind wandered through practical considerations.
“So,” she said, her voice soft with contentment and lingering desire, “how exactly is this going to work? Living in the bunkhouse, I mean.”
Todd’s chuckle rumbled through his chest, the sound vibrating against her cheek where it rested above his heart. “I’ve been thinking about that, too. The bunkhouse wasn’t exactly designed for couples.”
“The walls are pretty thin,” Sadie agreed, remembering all the nights she’d lain in bed listening to him moving around his room, wondering what it would be like to fall asleep in his arms. “Everyone would know exactly when we’re... active.”
“Active?” Todd repeated, his brows lifting as his voice was rich with amusement. “Is that what we’re calling it?”
She lifted her head to meet his gaze, seeing the happiness there that matched her own feelings.
“Would you prefer a different term? Fucking? Boinking? Making love? Getting laid? Knocking boots? Getting frisky? Tango in the sheets? Because I’m pretty sure everyone already knows what’s happening between us—”
He laughed. “Okay, okay!” Sobering, he kissed her deeply, then mumbled as his hand tangled in her hair with gentle possessiveness. “I don’t care who knows. I’ve spent too long pretending we were just coworkers. I’m done hiding how I feel.”
The declaration sent warmth flooding through her chest, but practical considerations remained. “Still, it might be nice to have some privacy. Some space that’s just ours.”
Todd was quiet for a moment, his fingers now smoothing her hair away from her face.
When he spoke, his voice carried the kind of careful hope that suggested he’d been thinking about more than just their immediate living situation.
“What do you think about getting a place together? Something of our own, close to the compound? We could rent, but I’m ready to buy. ”
The suggestion made her heart skip with possibilities she’d hardly dared to imagine. A home. Their home. A place where they could build the life they’d both been too frightened to reach for.
“I’d like that,” she said, her voice soft with wonder at how much her world had changed in such a short time. “I’d like that very much.”
“I’ve been looking…” he admitted, blushing when she blinked, her head jerking slightly.
“You have?”
“Yeah, babe. I knew when we came home, I wanted a place for us. But you needed to heal, and I didn’t want to give you too much to focus on. I’ve found a couple of places that are close enough to be convenient for work.”
Sadie lifted herself on one elbow, studying his face in the dim light filtering through the hotel room’s curtains. “We’ll have a home together?”
“I’m talking about having everything together,” he replied, his voice carrying absolute conviction. “A home, a life, a future that includes everything we’ve both been afraid to want.”
The magnitude of what he was offering… not just a relationship, but a partnership in every sense of the word, made her throat tight with emotions too complex to name. After years of careful independence, the thought of truly sharing her life with someone felt both terrifying and absolutely right.
“Okay,” she breathed. “I want to look at places with you.” Her words carried the weight of a leap of faith that felt less frightening when taken with the right person. “Let’s find our home.”
Todd’s smile was brilliant in the darkness, and when he pulled her down for another kiss, Sadie tasted the future on his lips. A future full of possibility and partnership and the kind of love she’d thought might have passed her by.
Outside their hotel room window, Montana stretched endlessly under a canopy of stars, the vast wilderness that had become home calling to them with promises of space to breathe and room to grow.
Tomorrow, they would begin the process of finding something permanent together.
But tonight, they were simply two people who’d found their way back to each other.
And that was enough. More than enough. It was everything.
Six Weeks Later
The keys felt warm in Sadie’s palm as she stood before the front door of what was officially, legally, and completely theirs.
The cabin wasn’t large, with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a kitchen that opened to a living area with floor-to-ceiling windows framing the Montana mountains like a living photograph.
But it was perfect in ways that had nothing to do with square footage and everything to do with the man standing beside her.
“Ready?” Todd asked, though his hand was already reaching for the keys with the impatience of someone who’d spent too much time waiting for happiness.
“We’re really doing this,” Sadie said, wonder coloring her voice as she looked up at the rustic wooden structure that would be their sanctuary from the world. “No more bunkhouse walls, no more pretending we’re just colleagues who happen to sleep twenty feet apart.”
“No more wasting time,” Todd agreed. The real estate transaction had moved with unprecedented speed once they’d made their decision.
The door swung open to reveal hardwood floors that gleamed in the afternoon sunlight, exposed-beam ceilings that spoke to craftsmanship, and the kind of open space that suited them both.
Their furniture, bought together, had been delivered yesterday, transforming the empty shell into something that already felt like home.
Today, their vehicles were filled with the clothes and items from the bunkhouse.
“I still can’t believe we’re homeowners.” Sadie dropped her purse on the kitchen counter, already feeling like she belonged in this space. “Five weeks from first viewing to closing. I think we might have set some kind of record.”
Todd’s arms came around her from behind, his chin resting on top of her head as they both gazed out the massive windows toward the mountain vista that had sold them instantly on the property. “When you know, you know. No point in waiting around for someone else to snap up perfection.”
The philosophy applied to more than real estate, and they both understood the deeper meaning in his words. They’d wasted enough time on fear, professional boundaries, and the kind of careful distance that had protected their reputations while hurting their hearts.
The laptop on their new kitchen table chimed with an incoming video call, the familiar ringtone that meant Todd’s family was ready for their scheduled check-in. They’d planned this conversation since the purchase was finalized, eager to share their news with the people whose opinions mattered most.
“You ready to officially be part of the Blake family?” Todd asked, his voice carrying a note of nervous anticipation that made Sadie’s heart squeeze with affection.
“Absolutely,” she replied, settling beside him as he accepted the call.
The screen filled with Todd’s parents. “There they are!” Todd’s mother exclaimed, her voice carrying the kind of maternal delight that transcended digital distance.
“The homeowners! Sadie, you’re even more beautiful than when I met you on our Montana visit.
Todd, honey, you look happier than I’ve seen you in years. ”
“Hi, Mrs. Blake,” Sadie said. “It’s wonderful to see you again.”
“Please, call me Susan,” Todd’s mother replied, her smile warm as she inclined her head toward Todd’s dad. “And just David. Oh, and I have to say that Todd told us about Arizona. We are so sorry for everything that happened!”
Todd’s father leaned closer to the camera, his expression carrying the kind of paternal assessment that fathers reserved for their children’s romantic partners. “You two went through quite an ordeal together. Glad to see you’re both safe and sound.”
“Your son was brilliant. He’s good at rescue operations.”
Todd jumped in. “Don’t let her fool you. She was amazing at bringing their operation down.”
David responded, “We were starting to worry he’d never find someone brave enough to put up with his tendency to overthink everything. So glad he’s got you.”
“Dad,” Todd protested, though his embarrassment was tempered by obvious affection for his family’s gentle teasing.
“It’s true,” Susan added, her eyes twinkling with maternal mischief.
Sadie felt Todd’s hand find hers under the table, their fingers intertwining with the kind of automatic comfort that spoke to a deep partnership. “I think we were both being too careful,” she said, squeezing his palm. “But sometimes the best things are worth waiting for.”
“Well, you certainly didn’t waste any time once you made your decision,” Susan observed, gesturing toward what they could see of the cabin’s interior. “We can’t wait to see the house in person.”
“You’re always welcome here,” Todd and Sadie said at the same time, then laughed.
The conversation continued for another half hour, filled with the kind of easy warmth that made Sadie understand exactly where Todd had learned to be the man she’d fallen in love with.
His parents asked about their plans for their new home, treating her not like an addition to their son’s life but like someone who’d always belonged in their family circle.
When they finally disconnected after they’d promised to visit Montana as soon as schedules allowed, Sadie felt the peculiar lightness that came from being fully accepted by people whose approval mattered to the man she loved.
“They’re wonderful,” she said, meaning every word.
“And now, they’re your family, too.” His words meant more than she could have hoped for.
That evening, they sat on their back deck with bottles of beer and the kind of comfortable silence that came from being completely at ease with another person. The Montana sky stretched endlessly above them as the sun settled behind mountain peaks.
“I keep waiting for someone to tell me this isn’t real,” Sadie said, her feet propped on the deck railing as she savored both the beer and the man whose arm was draped around her shoulders. “The house, us, the way everything just... fell into place once we stopped fighting it.”
Todd’s laugh was low and rich, vibrating through his chest where her head rested against him. “It’s real. We’re real. And we have a lifetime now to figure out just how good this can get.”
A lifetime. The concept that had once seemed impossibly daunting now felt like the most precious gift imaginable.
Time to build the kind of partnership she’d seen in Logan and Vivian, in Sisco and Lenore, and in all the couples at LSIMT who’d found the courage to fight for love despite the dangerous nature of their work.
“What do you think we’ll be like in ten years?” she asked, the question emerging from alcohol-loosened thoughts and the kind of curiosity that came from finally believing in the future.
“Happy,” Todd replied without hesitation. “Probably a little grayer, definitely more settled, but happy. Maybe there will be kids running around, getting into trouble, and driving us both crazy.”
The casual mention of children sent warmth spiraling through her chest, though she’d never allowed herself to seriously consider the possibility before meeting Todd. Now, the image of dark-haired children with his smile and her stubborn streak felt not just possible but inevitable.
“Kids who know how to handle weapons and hack computer systems?” she asked, amusement threading through her voice.
“Kids who know how to think for themselves and stand up for what’s right,” Todd corrected, his voice carrying the conviction that would make him an extraordinary father. “Though, yeah, probably some weapons training too. This is Montana, after all.”
The mountains before them stood eternal and unchanging, witnesses to countless human stories of love and loss and the kind of courage it took to build something lasting in an uncertain world.
Somewhere in the distance, a coyote called to its pack, the wild sound emphasizing both the isolation and the freedom of their new home.
“I love you, Todd Blake,” Sadie said, the words carrying the weight of months of suppressed emotion and a future that stretched endlessly before them. “I love our house, our life, and our completely ridiculous story of how we found each other.”
“I love you too, Sadie,” he replied, pressing a kiss to her lips that spoke of promises and the kind of happiness she’d thought was reserved for other people.
The stars began to emerge in the darkening sky, tiny points of light that had guided travelers for millennia and would continue shining long after their own story had ended.
But tonight, they were simply two people who’d found their way home to each other, sitting on their own deck, planning a future that finally felt as infinite as the Montana sky above them.
Get ready for the next exciting LSIMT book!
Casper
She escaped Hollywood to find peace. He was sent to keep her alive.
Willow Thorton traded stardom for solitude in rural Nebraska, writing novels far from the spotlight that nearly destroyed her. Until silk roses start appearing on her porch. Hang-up calls. Fresh footprints beneath her window. Someone has found her, and they're getting bolder.
Former Army Delta Force operative Casper Caspini doesn't do small talk or emotional attachments. But protecting Willow means breaking all his rules, starting with the one about not falling for the client.
As the stalker's obsession escalates, Casper and Willow are forced into close quarters and an undeniable connection neither expected. But when a book signing becomes the stalker's hunting ground, they'll have to trust each other with more than their lives.
They'll have to trust each other with their hearts.